The Reluctant Trainer
by Aesop
Summary: I wrote this essentially on a bet. I've never written a Pokemon fic before so please R and R. Feedback will determine if I continue the story.
1. Default Chapter

THE RELUCTANT TRAINER

By: Aesop

I don't own the characters in the show or any of the concepts. I gain nothing by writing this. The main character is my own creation though. I've never written a pokemon story. Feedback is encouraged. Let me know how I did. Feedback will help to determine if I write any more pokemon stories.

Reese grabbed the gunwale as the small boat was tossed again. At first, the creature's interest in the boat had been a curiosity. Then it became an annoyance. Now it was downright dangerous.

"Go away!" he yelled. "What'd I ever do to you?" The large beast made no response. It simply surfaced under the boat again, seeming to enjoy the feel of the small craft sliding down its back. It was growing tired of the game though. With a powerful flip of it's tail, it sent the boat and its sole occupant flying.

When Reese surfaced he found the creature looming over him. It looked hungry. "This is supposed to be relaxing?" He dove under, swimming frantically away from it. He took a second to look back. It was gaining fast, and it definitely looked hungry.

Something hard struck him in the side, shoving him out of the way and carrying him to the surface. Whatever it was that had deposited him near his boat and helped him into it. Catching his breath, he looked up to see a starmie hovering in the air at the edge of the boat. He nodded silently while trying to cough the sea water out of his lungs.

"Thanks," he finally managed. The starmie bobbed in seeming acknowledgment. How was it doing that anyway? "Appreciate the he- uh-oh." The creature that had attacked the boat rose out of the water and the starmie turned to face it, making angry noises. The thing roared and dipped its head toward them. Starmie loosed a torrent of water and the other pulled back shaking its large head angrily.

"I think you're annoying it," Reese called as he tried to find some way to get the boat moving. The mast and sail were gone. The oars meant to be used in an emergency were gone. He was still in serious trouble. Glancing back at his rescuer, he saw the starmie moving off to one side, drawing the monster away with its mostly ineffectual assaults. It dived at Starmie and missed cleanly when the intended target shot into the air. It did this twice before Reese saw what was happening. It wasn't merely that Starmie was fast. The other creature's vision seemed to be impaired. Yes. It was all but blind in one eye.

"Starmie!" He called, "its blind in its left eye! Attack from that direction." Starmie made a noise indicating that it had heard. It began to lead the much larger creature in a dizzying dance that almost had its opponent chasing it's own tail. This couldn't last, though. Reese could see that the starmie was growing tired. "Time to go on the offensive," he called thinking back a few years to a pokemon match a friend had dragged him to. There had been a staryu there. "Now what did that trainer say? Oh yeah. Tackle attack!" he called, and Starmie obeyed without hesitation, charging straight in. The large head turned toward the oncoming pokemon and met it with a head butt. Starmie was flung backwards and luckily landed in the water near the boat. Reese shook his head in frustration. "Not what I had in mind. Turn your edge toward it and start spinning, like a buzz saw. Can you do that?" Starmie rose out of the water, shaking off the affects of the failed attack. It made an affirmative noise and started jockeying for position. "Aim for its good eye."

This time Starmie came at it edge on, spinning as Reese had directed. When the creature perceived the threat to its remaining eye it turned away quickly and Starmie's spiked edge struck sparks off its scaly hide. Circling around, it came at the creature again. Once again, the larger creature was forced to back off. With a roar of frustration, it turned dove under water, leaving them alone.

Starmie returned to the boat where it settled to the bottom looking exhausted. "Good work. We'd best get out of here before it comes back, though." He began to paddle using a broken board. It was slow work though and after a few moments, tired or not, starmie rose up and hooked a coil of rope with one spine. Reese got the idea and tied the rope around Starmie. It waited till he had secured the other end to the boat and began to tow it toward the distant shore.

"What happened?" Roger, the owner of the boat, the one that had talked him into a relaxing day of sailing, stared at the wreckage that had begun to sink half-way to shore. Reese told him the whole story. He shook his head, amazed.

"A gyarados. Usually, they don't come so close to shore. Wow. That… that really stinks." He looked forlornly at what had been a very nice little sailboat.

"Stinks?" Reese said incredulously. "I could've been killed. Better your boat than me!" He looked at Starmie who was lying on the shore looking like something the tide had dragged in. "I need to get it some medical attention. Where do I go?"

Roger gave him directions to the Pokemon center and Reese loaded his rescuer into a small wagon belonging to Roger's son and headed off. It was a short trip, fortunately, and soon, he was at the admissions desk.

"Oh no!" an overwrought red-head with pig tails stared at Starmie. "What happened?"

"A gyarados," Reese didn't bother to elaborate. The woman, he heard someone call her nurse Joy, gave him a severe look.

"You should choose your opponents more carefully. Its irresponsible to let it battle till its in this condition. What kind of trainer are you?" She motioned for a small pink pokemon that Reese didn't recognize to push the wagon through the swinging doors.

"No kind of trainer. The starmie went after the gyarados on its own when it attacked my boat."

"Oh! I'm sorry. I usually only see trainers in here. I just assumed…" Reese waved off the apology.

"Just help it get back on its… um, whatever it uses to get around. I owe it that much." Joy nodded and went in back to treat the starmie. Reese settled down to wait, watching others, trainers he assumed, come and go. Toward the end of his wait a meowth came in alone. It settled in a chair near him cradling an injured paw. No doubt injured in one of those pointless battles, he thought, distastefully. Reese stopped looking at that point.

It took almost two hours, but nurse Joy returned with starmie bobbing along behind her, apparently none the worse for wear.

"Your starmie is just fine. He should probably take it easy for a few days, though, just to be on the safe side." Reese nodded.

"Thank you," he turned his attention to Starmie, "and thank you. You saved my life." The starmie made noises Reese interpreted as 'your welcome.' "I should be going. The police were by earlier asking me to make a statement about that gyarados, and you probably have your own business to get back to." He turned away and started to leave. Starmie made a short sound almost like a bark, and Reese stopped, puzzled not only by what it had said, but that he was almost certain that he knew what it had said.

"You want a lift back to the ocean or something?" Starmie made several more noises and Reese shook his head. "I'm not a trainer." More noise from Starmie. "I have no interest in being a trainer. Frankly I disapprove of the entire business. You're an intelligent creature. Why would you want to do that?" The answer was cut off by a cackling laugh from the meowth.

"You are dense, aren't you? What do you mean; why would it want to battle? A pokemon that makes it to the top in the Pokemon League is set for life." Starmie made a series of angry noises.

"That's not Starmie's reason," Reese noted.

"It wants challenge," Meowth gave a feline shrug. "Lots of pokemon do." Reese cast an exasperated look at the floating Christmas ornament.

"There are ways to challenge yourself that do not involve beating or being beaten to a pulp in front of a crowd of morons that think violence is entertaining." Joy looked shocked at what she no doubt considered an unfair assessment.

"There's a lot more to the Pokemon League than that! A healthy competition between pokemon and trainers is good for them both. You and your pokemon have to think on your feet. It's a test of mind and body for both."

"There are better ways of testing yourself." Starmie made a short, derisive sounding noise and Reese glanced at it sharply. "What do you mean 'prove it?'" Meowth had started to offer a translation, instead he wound up staring at the two with his jaw hanging open. Joy looked almost as surprised. Neither Starmie nor Reese noticed. "You have something in mind?" A series of noises issued from somewhere in its odd form, and Reese frowned. "I have no desire to become a trainer, and proving a point isn't really that important to me." More noise that Joy only caught the gist of, but much to her surprise, the young man who'd brought Starmie in seemed to understand perfectly.

"Starmie seems to think it is important to you and wants to give you the chance," Meowth offered an interpretation of the more complex speech.

"How?" More noise.

"It suggests that you two team up, travel together while 'it' gets through the pokemon league. It'll give you lots of time to prove that it's wasting its time." Before Reese could comment, Meowth plowed on, adding his own thoughts on the matter. "If you two were able to drive off a gyarados, you must make a good team."

"What's in it for me, though? You get to show off for the crowds. How do I benefit?"

"Oh, trainers travel all over the world to compete. The Pokemon League supports them in their efforts. You can always go to a pokemon center for a meal and a bed, if necessary. Trainers see a lot of the world." Reese frowned thoughtfully. It was starting to sound appealing. His studies at Celedon University were growing more stressful by the month. That had been his main reason for going sailing; he had needed a break. Traveling, for any reason, sounded like it might be an adventure and a welcome respite from academia.

"I'd have to interrupt my studies, perhaps skip the next semester," he mused. "However, there are more than gyms in the cities I'd have to visit." Starmie made some encouraging noises, its tone bordered on sarcasm as it hinted at all the opportunities Reese would have to show starmie the error of it's ways. Reese shot it an annoyed glance. "Don't push it." Meowth cackled again.

"How do you do that? Understand it so well, I mean?" Reese shrugged, not really sure himself. Starmie seemed to let its tone do a lot of its communicating for it. He said as much, and Joy seemed to accept it, though she looked dubious. "It's rare to see a human and a pokemon communicate so well. Perhaps you've found a new calling." She smiled brightly. It was Reese' turn to be dubious.

"We'll see. I'll want to do some research first, find out exactly what I'm getting myself into before I make any final decision." Reese had serious doubts about the endeavor, but there were aspects of it that were appealing, he had to admit. Doubts or no, however, he and starmie left together.

After a week of study and consideration, and no small amount of convincing from Starmie, Reese made his decision. He put his studies at the university on hold, made arrangements to have his house looked after while he was gone and armed with a pokedex and a handful of pokeballs he got from the Pokemon center, set out for a brief excursion into the mountains to find more pokemon.

Reese lowered the binoculars and turned slightly from where he lay on the ground at the top of the small hill. Silently gesturing to Starmie he indicated a slow advance. They had discussed it thoroughly beforehand, deciding how best to proceed with the acquisition of new pokemon. The entire idea of ambushing and capturing them made Reese uncomfortable, but that was the way it was done. He decided to change that.

Starmie moved around the hill and came upon the raticate from behind. It stopped approximately 10 feet away and issued a challenge. The raticate turned abruptly and snarled. It didn't look like it wanted to fight, but wasn't about to back down either. Starmie said something, Reese couldn't tell what, that seemed to enrage the large rodent. Chattering angrily, it charged, covering the distance in the blink of an eye and knocking Starmie off its pins. It delivered several vicious blows before Starmie drove it off with a blast of water. Reese stood up to get a better view and called to starmie. "Remember the buzz saw." Starmie backed away from the still furious raticate, gaining distance for its next tactic.

Raticate charged, and Starmie turned to face it edge on and charged as well. Seeing the sharp edge turned toward it, the raticate tried to make a last second course correction, but didn't quite make it. While avoiding the spikes it was still struck broadside and sent flying. It hit the ground several feet away, but didn't rest there long. A water gun attack drove it into the base of a tree where it lay stunned. Reese came down the hill and used the pokeball as Joy had showed him. The raticate's form seemed to dissolve and flow into the small device.

A few moments later it was free again, calmer, and listening impatiently as Reese made his offer. "The Pokemon League will give you a chance to work off some of that aggression. You'll get regular meals and won't have to worry about predators, at least not outside the arena." Reese wasn't sure what about his offer appealed to the volatile rodent, but it accepted his offer and agreed to join them.

Things did not always go that smoothly. Given a choice in the matter, some pokemon flatly refused to have anything to do with them. One very indignant ponyta responded by kicking Starmie over the horizon, and Reese barely avoided the same treatment. Slowly, though, they gathered a respectable number of pokemon, and Reese worked with each of them, teaching new skills in combat and in other, more civilized, areas.

Starmie spent some time with the local fire department as part of its training. It was required to carry increasingly heavy loads as part of rescue simulations and during actual fires. Reese saw to it that Starmie built up its strength, speed, and stamina, but also made sure that it learned to study potential opponents. He devised exercises for all of them to test their powers of observation and deduction.

He taught a machop that he took to calling Dukes, sign language to enable clearer communication. Some of the others, even those that lacked hands picked it up. Dukes also studied several martial arts forms that were usually learned only by humans. All in all Reese was pleased with all of them, especially when one admitted that the arena wasn't necessarily the end all and be all of a pokemon's aspirations.

Teaching the raticate how to be patient and control his temper was actually one of the hardest tasks he had, although eventually, after a few humiliating defeats, it began to get the idea.

The three stood at the edge of the meadow watching the creature that that pokedex identified as a slowpoke amble across the grass apparently unaware of their presence or unconcerned by it. "Okay Rat, you're up. Remember what the pokedex said about its abilities." The raticate made an impatient sound and charged the slow moving creature, screaming a challenge. Reese shook his head in irritation. "When is he going to learn?" Starmie said nothing. Both watched silently as the slowpoke turned laboriously toward the oncoming Rat and stared at him. Rat suddenly stumbled and veered off course. It's challenge turned into a confused whine. He was still going at a fairly good clip though when he ran headlong into a tree. Reese winced in sympathy.

"That, I assume, it slowpoke's 'space out' attack. Want to see if you can do better Starmie?" Starmie did, and soon a soaked and battered slowpoke was on its way to the pokemon center with them.

"That's quite a nasty bump," Joy said with concern as she treated Rat who was still somewhat dazed. "What happened?"

"He tackled a tree," Reese said shortly. "Don't ask. Rat is probably embarrassed enough as it is. Hopefully he'll learn from the experience though." Joy knew better than to press by this time and simply smiled.

"I'm sure he will. You've recruited quite a few haven't you?" Reese nodded. She learned early on that Reese didn't capture anyone. He refused to force any of his pokemon into anything. More than one had left when they found his training regimen too strenuous. Those that stayed grew stronger though. Slowpoke was the latest addition to the group. Reese always made a point of watching Joy work when he could, in order to learn as much about pokemon care as he could.

Reese, Rat, Slowpoke, and Dukes, who had already been at the center for a checkup, emerged from the back, Rat oddly subdued by the embarrassing defeat. They were greeted by a loud crash from the front entrance. "What?" Reese stared at the oddly dressed group at the entrance. He recognized Meowth from his first visit to the center, but the others were strange to him. Very strange.

"Prepare for trouble," the red-haired female began.

"And make it double," her male companion continued. Reese traded curious glances his pokemon companions. What was this? The two continued in this vein for a time, ending it with a demand that they all surrender.

Reese stepped forward and addressed Meowth calmly. "Hey Meowth, I didn't know you were with the circus." The two humans looked angry. They looked positively furious when Meowth started laughing.

"Stop laughing, Meowth!" the woman who had called herself Jesse insisted. "He's insulting us!" She straightened up and glared at him. "We'll teach you to make fun of Team Rocket. Arbok, go!" An arbok emerged from her pokeball as the man, James, released a wheezing.

Smothering an oath, Reese ducked behind a counter as Arbok released a torrent of poison needles. "Dukes, Rat, watch the needles." Both took cover as the would-be thieves laughed. "Rat, your up. Show them that double-team attack we've been working on." Rat emerged from behind the counter and charged. He emerged from behind a couch and charged. He jumped over an overturned coffee table and charged. Soon the lobby was full of raticates and even Reese couldn't tell which was real. Every time the arbok's attack struck an image it would vanish and he was quickly running out of distractions.

"Rat, cross-fire gambit." Rat made an excited exclamation, remembering their work on the maneuver and how much fun it had been taking out the growlithes the previous week. The remaining images charged as one, leaving Arbok frantically turning this way and that. Then all but one vanished and that one moved with lightning speed, barely staying ahead of the barrage of needles as it ran past Wheezing, Jesse, and finally, James.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Meowth yelled from behind a potted plant, and Arbok finally stopped, realizing it had just been tricked into knocking out its own trainer.

"Raticate. Tackle attack." Arbok was driven to the ground hard and lay there, stunned. Rat then turned on Meowth, but Reese called a halt. Stepping out into the main part of the room and walking to Meowth's hiding place he looked down at the nervous pokemon. "Was there a point to all this?" he asked irritably.

"Doesn't seem to have been," Meowth admitted looking at his friends. They were only slowly recovering. "Not that there's much of a point to anything Team Rocket does."

"Uh-huh." If that answer made sense, it was of sort that eluded Reese. He shrugged; deciding it really didn't matter. "Well nice running into you again, Meowth. Good luck with the lifestyle," he waved to his pokemon as sirens approached outside. He had heard of Team Rocket. They were vaguely notorious. He had also heard that they had a dismal track record when it came to actually stealing anything. How they managed to stay at large when their often silly plans kept backfiring was a mystery. It was not one he was interested in solving, though. Together, Reese and his pokemon, including Slowpoke who hadn't seemed to realize anything unusual had happened, left the pokemon center.

"You know," he told them as they walked away from the center. "I think we're ready for the Celedon City gym and our first badge."

THE END


	2. Celedon Upset

CELEDON UPSET

By Aesop 

EMAIL: enowon@juno.com

I don't own the ideas or characters of Pokemon and I don't profit by writing this. This continues the story of Reese and the pokemon he gathered in an effort to win the league championship. As before, any continuation of this story line will be contingent on reader response. 

"Must've been quite a match." Reese commented, looking at the smoldering remains of the Celedon City gym.

"What?" the gym leader, a young woman that Reese had learned was named Erika, turned to look at him. Then she scowled. "That's not funny. People could have been hurt or worse." She regarded the intruder, a tall lanky man perhaps two years her senior. He looked only slightly abashed.

"No one was though. Every last human and pokemon made it out safely. That's what's important." He smiled at her winningly. "You must have had contingencies in place for such an emergency and practiced them." Erika blushed faintly under his attention.

"Actually, people are usually fleeing the smell of my gloom."

"Well, that works too." Both chuckled despite the situation. "I suppose a gym battle is out for the foreseeable future?"

"Afraid so," Erika nodded. "Without the gym I've had to find new places for my pokemon and the trainers who work with me to stay. We're really scattered at the moment. It'll be at least a week before I get organized enough to start accepting new challengers." She looked him over appraisingly. "You're still collecting badges? A bit old to be just starting out aren't you?"

"A bit. Its kind of a long story." 

She shrugged. "I've got time."

A few minutes later they were seated at a small café not far from what was left of the gym. Reese told her about his encounter with Starmie and the beginning of his time as a trainer. He also told her about his encounter with Team Rocket. 

"They were the ones who destroyed the gym," she scowled again. On her it was more of a pout, he thought. Actually, it made her look rather cute. He knew better than to share that insight though. Then her expression changed. "If it hadn't been for Ash, Gloom and my other pokemon might not have gotten out. Team Rocket wanted our secret perfume formula."

"Did they get it?"

"Part of it." She smiled smugly. Reese raised an eyebrow inquiringly, but she didn't seem inclined to share the joke. "I don't think they'll be tempted to try again though." They moved on to other topics.

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"Why a magikarp? They're not very capable." Erika looked dubiously at the pokeball he was holding.

"True, but they evolve into gyarados. If this one is treated and trained well I could wind up with a very strong ally."

"Ally? That's a curious way of looking at it."

"It's a way that suits me. Tell me, is that gloom you keep your pet? Your servant? How do you see her?" She considered this carefully for a moment. 

"She's my friend."

"An equal?"

"Um, well…" He shrugged.

"The pokemon with me are free to come and go as they please. Several who found my training program too arduous have left. I expect a lot of the pokemon I train. If they're not committed they don't have to participate and they don't have to stay if they don't want to. I've found that some pokemon don't want trainers if they're given a choice. I've had my offer rejected a few times. Sometimes violently."

"Interesting approach," she hedged with a tone that suggested she thought she was dealing with a weirdo.

"It works though. As you'll see when you're ready for a match." Erika knew a challenge when she heard one and smiled.

"I can put one together in three days. Meet me in the city park near the central fountain. In the meantime, you might want to challenge a few trainers. Capturing pokemon in the wild is a lot different from facing one directed by a trainer." She left to go back to the gym, and Reese headed for the park. There was a workout due and he knew a place frequented by trainers. Erika was right. He had only faced one or two other trainers, not including Team Rocket and he wasn't sure they counted.

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He let out his pokemon in a meadow, in view of several trainers. "Okay guys, today its speed and agility. Let's start with a race. Starmie, Dukes, and Rat will go to the end of the meadow and back again." 

They took their places and started off at his signal. The others watched, except for Slowpoke whose attention span left something to be desired. Rat took an early lead with his usual burst of speed, but the others quickly overtook him as the burst of speed wore off. Rat didn't fall behind as before though. Reese was happy to see that the raticate was learning to pace himself. Starmie drew ahead when it came time to turn around. It was literally able to turn on a dime. Starmie put on a burst of speed and soared ahead, easily outdistancing the others as Reese knew it would. 

"Good work! Let's keep the pace up. Obstacle course. Slowpoke, Weedle, Cinder just as we ran it last week." The pokemon went into their routine, a team exercise to test skill and cooperation. Reese noticed he was gathering an audience. After a while, someone approached him. He had become wrapped up in the workout and was surprised by the voice behind him.

"Not bad. You and your pokemon might even be worthy of a match with me." Reese looked around at a boy around 11 years old with reddish-brown hair watching him with an unbelievably conceited expression.

"What an honor," Reese said dryly. "I know I'm already impressed." The boy preened. "How does someone so short manage to look down his nose at everyone?" Several of Reese' pokemon, who had stopped to watch the exchange burst out laughing. The boy's jaw dropped as if he couldn't believe anyone would dare address him in such a way.

"I'm Gary Oak of Palet, and I challenge you to a pokemon match!" Reese shrugged.

"Okay kid. You got it. Two on two?" Gary nodded and pulled out two pokeballs.

"Go Nidoking!" The large pokemon emerged from his ball and roared and stomped.

"Dukes. He's yours." The burly machop stepped forward confidently. He sized up his opponent and cast a questioning glance at Reese. "Remember your fight with Tauros?" Dukes nodded and moved forward to meet the challenger, or as Dukes liked to think of him, the loser.

"A machop? You must be new at this. There's no way that that little thing can win! Nidoking! Tackle attack!" The Nidoking charged forward, intent on trampling Dukes. For his part Dukes didn't look concerned. He waited patiently till the thundering beast was almost on top of him. Then he jumped, landing squarely on the nidoking's back. The large pokemon screeched to a stop with a startled cry. Dukes grabbed hold of a double handful of thick hide and held on tight. His grip got the nidoking's attention and he started trying to shake Dukes off. When that didn't work Nidoking reached over his shoulder as best he could, but couldn't reach his assailant. Losing his temper, Nidoking started to buck.

"Maaachop!!" Dukes cried gleefully as his mount twisted and turned. Gary stared in astonishment for a moment, then he recovered from his surprise.

"Nidoking! Drop and roll!" The large beast threw himself down and tried to roll over on Dukes. For a creature of his size, he was surprisingly quick. Dukes barely leapt clear. The machop then leaped again, coming down feet first on Nidoking's stomach. Breath went out in a rush but the larger pokemon managed to land a convulsive kick of his own that sent Dukes flying. Nidoking scrambled to his feet and prepared for another charge.

Dukes shook off the kick and scrambled to his feet in time to dodge another tackle attack. It took Nidoking a while to slow down and turn around. Dukes used the time to get his breath back. When his opponent returned he was ready. Leaping high, as if to repeat his first gambit, he drove his foot into the face of the nidoking that had stretched up to swat him out of the air. The force of the kick drove the beast over on to his back and Dukes landed two quick, hard blows to the side of the head. Nidoking groaned and stopped moving as he lost consciousness.

"Nidoking is unable to battle," cried an onlooker, evidently a long time fan of pokemon league matches. "Machop is the winner!" 

"Impressive," Gary admitted grudgingly as he recalled his nidoking. "But it's not over yet." He drew out another pokeball. "Arcanine, go!" The fire pokemon emerged and stood growling at Reese and his pokemon.

"Starmie, you up to it?" Starmie said it was and moved to meet the challenger. 

"Arcanine, flame thrower!"

"Starmie evasive! Use water gun when you have a shot." The Arcanine was fast. It evaded the initial blast and struck back. Gary shouted orders that gave Reese some warning of what was coming. Reese gave his more complex instructions in a code that he and his pokemon had long since worked out. As the Arcanine launched a fire spin attack at Gary's direction Reese called to Starmie. "Shower!"

Starmie directed its water gun attack straight up. Gravity took over and the water washed over it quickly extinguishing the fire. "Pattern delta, H3, rapid fire, K8 buzz saw." Starmie swept by the Arcanine as it was gathering itself for another attack. It moved quickly and passed so close that the fire pokemon yelped and leapt aside, losing focus for a crucial second. Starmie fired off almost a dozen bursts of high-pressure water. The Arcanine was bowled over. 

Starmie kept moving, and before the Arcanine could shake off the attack Starmie slammed into it from behind.

"Arcanine!" Gary was incredulous. He couldn't believe he'd lost. Running to his downed pokemon he cradled the fire pokemon's head and assured him that it was all right. He then recalled the pokemon into its pokeball and stood to face Reese. "Incredible. I don't know how you managed it, but you beat me. That's never happened before." Reese sincerely doubted that, but he saw no point in disagreeing. Gary shook his head. "Glad my cheering squad wasn't around to see that." He turned and walked away leaving an incredulous trainer behind him.

"Cheering squad?" Reese said to no one in particular. He recalled his own pokemon and set out for home. No one else seemed interested in challenging him after that display.

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He found two matches the next day and one the following. Only one of them, a Charizard proved serious challenge to his pokemon, but the tauros Dukes had defeated two weeks earlier managed to knock it out. Finally, the day of his first gym battle came.

"I hope you're ready for this," Erika said smiling across the park meadow that separated them. "I'd hate to think you were wasting my time."

"I think I can hold your interest," Reese demurred. "Two on two?" Erika nodded and pulled out her first pokeball. The small group of trainers and curious onlookers that had gathered for the match leaned forward, eager to see what the Celedon City gym leader would use.

"Go Tangela." The vine pokemon waddled forward apparently ready to fight, though Reese could see nothing of its expression beneath the vines.

"Okay. I have something special for you then." He drew out a pokeball containing a creature rarely seen around Celedon. "Go cydaquil." Erika blinked and stared at the cute little creature that trotted out to meet her Tangela.

"I've heard of them, but I don't think I've ever seen one."

"I found him in the mountains. I think his trainer abandoned him. He was in bad shape when I found him."

"Oh poor thing!" Erika cried. Reese smiled, both touched and amused by her soft-hearted response.

"Save your concern for your Tangela. Cinder is fully recovered." He addressed Cinder next. "Quick attack." It was a tactic he had found most useful. It was a common, straightforward attack that didn't give anything away, while allowing him to gauge his opponent's response. Cinder shot forward with amazing speed, and bowled over the slower grass type. Reese took a moment to be pleased with the results of his training. The races and obstacle courses he had devised had made the little creature much stronger.

"Tangela poison powder!" The vine pokemon was on its feet almost immediately, more surprised than hurt.

"Flare," Reese responded with an almost bored tone. He had anticipated that tactic. Knowing that Erika would want to end the match quickly. Cinder gave off a burst of fire that burned away the incoming powder. "Flame thrower." Tangela tried to dodge, but seemed to trip over its own vines in its haste, and the debilitating heat washed over it. When the attack ended it lay there unresponsive and Erika recalled it.

"Very good. Now lets see how you handle my strongest pokemon. Go Gloom!" Gloom came forward to face Cinder and let out its famous stench. Cinder began choking and sneezing and couldn't continue.

"Okay Cinder. Come back." He drew out a new pokeball. "There is one pokemon that can handle that smell," he informed her. "Your up." Erika blinked in surprise as another gloom materialized near her own. "Elmer," Reese called.

"Elmer?" Erika looked confused. "That's a strange name for a gl-. Oh my!" Elmer referred to Elmer's glue, which was a less effective adhesive than the sticky nectar that Reese' gloom sprayed over Erika's. It not only hampered its movements but clogged the pores from which it excreted its various powders.

"Strange powder," Reese called, unconcerned that Erika would know what his next attack was. Her Gloom, unable to move or counter-attack, was soon snoring peacefully. Erika recalled it.

"I've never been beaten that quickly before," she marveled. "But you've certainly earned your badge." She produced a gym badge and gave it to him. "You've trained them well."

"I've tried. Good match." He looked around at the audience they had gathered. "I could use this time to give some of my other pokemon a work out though. Anyone interested?" No one was. Erika had never been beaten that easily before, and they were in no hurry to share in the experience. Reese shrugged, disappointed. "Very well. I'm off to Saffron City next then. Farewell Erika." He recalled Gloom and set out for Saffron City and his next badge.

THE END


	3. On the Road

ON THE ROAD

By Aesop

I didn't create pokemon and don't own the ideas, but the main character is mine. I don't profit by this. The story is just for fun.

"Hmm. Is that necessary?" Reese asked.

"I'm afraid so," Nurse Joy replied sympathetically. "The League rules are quite clear. Trainers can keep six pokemon with them at any one time, because that's the number they're allowed to use in League competition. I can arrange for your pokemon to be placed at professor Oak's lab in Pallet Town. It's a very nice place and they'll be well looked after until you need them. I can teleport them now if you like."

"Actually I think I'd like to meet this professor Oak. I've read a few of his papers, and I think I would like to see his facility for myself. I'll take them myself. It'll give me a chance to get some extra training in on the way and recruit some additional pokemon." That decision made he set off for the train station. He decided to travel part of the way by train before crossing the Safari Zone and Veridian Forest on foot.

The train pulled out of the station on schedule and made good time from Celedon to Pewter. He used the time to plan a route that would allow him to skirt the Pokemon Preserve and still make good time to Veridian City and from there to Pallet Town. From the edge of the city he set out along the road that would lead to the Safari Zone. He suspected that Starmie would be offended by his decision not to stop in Pewter for a badge, but Reese didn't think they were quite ready. More practice, and a few more water or plant pokemon were needed first.

He let out his current group and regarded them proudly for a moment. They were all strong and healthy, and they had, for the most part, met or exceeded his expectations in their training. He told them what he had in mind.

"We're on our way to a research facility run by a professor Samuel Oak. It's a place where some of you will be able to rest and recuperate when not competing. League rules only allow me to keep six of you with me at a time." They didn't look terribly happy at this, but no one objected. "I want us to look over the facility and see what this professor is like. We're about two weeks hard traveling from his lab. We'll be using the time to gather and train new pokemon. The area we pass through will be full of wild pokemon and you'll each have the chance to test your skills. Any questions?"

"Carp, carp, carp," Magicarp jumped out of the river they were standing near. Starmie moved over the water and dipped one point into the water while grunting.

"The river parallels our course for a while, and there are other bodies of water along the way. You'll get to spend plenty of time outside your pokeball," he assured the fish pokemon. "Lets get moving." It was a good day for hiking and Reese set a brisk pace along the river, checking his map every few miles to keep track of their route. They saw a few pokemon in the distance but none that he believed they could reach before they fled. It was Magicarp that found their first challenge. A commotion from the river drew Reese' attention.

"What's up Magicarp?" The fish pokemon was too busy to answer. It was trying to avoid the attacks of a rather territorial Goldeen who kept charging at it. "Broadside tackle," Reese called but to little avail. Goldeen had it on the defensive and Magicarp couldn't respond properly. "She's fast," Reese nodded. "Magicarp let her get closer. Evade, then broadside." He wasn't sure if his pokemon heard him or not at least not until the Goldeen passed within inches of it and was suddenly slammed from the side. It floundered for a moment and Reese called out again, "tackle attack."

The Goldeen tried to slip aside but couldn't avoid Magicarp entirely. She was sent spinning. "Again," Reese called. This time the attack worked and Goldeen was cast up on the bank to flop helplessly. Reese quickly called it into a pokeball. "Good work," he called. Magicarp responded with weak enthusiasm and Reese recalled it. Letting the Goldeen out, he made his standard offer. She accepted, although Reese doubted if she really cared one way or another where she was. He called her into her pokeball and took the chance to cut away from the river and save a few hours of walking by not following a bend in the river.

Sundown found them near the river again as the meandering waterway turned back to intercept their course. No promising Pokemon had presented themselves, and the group settled down. Their progress had only been marginally slowed by races, tree climbing contests, and other training opportunities that presented themselves. After dinner, he called most of them into their pokeballs but set Tauros as a guard for the first part of the night. "Just wake Dukes when you get sleepy, and he'll relieve you." Dukes didn't care much for his pokeball and preferred to sleep in the open.

***

Reese wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when he was awakened by Tauros' bellowing. He sat up, or tried to. Something was sitting on his chest. "Huh?" A Caterpie had apparently chosen his blanket as a place to sleep. Tauros was stomping about the clearing with something covering its eyes and the Caterpie was chattering indignantly. The indignation turned to alarm when Reese sat up, spilling the creature onto the ground. It began to wriggle away and Reese grabbed an empty Pokeball and threw it. The Caterpie disappeared, but reappeared a moment later as it struggled out of the ball. It gave him the insect equivalent of a rasberry and started away. A lucky kick from Tauros knocked out Caterpie and almost knocked out Reese as the bug pokemon was hurled through the air, past his head and into a tree. Reese tried the pokeball again and this time Caterpie stayed put.

It took a moment to get Tauros calmed down and peel away the sticky string Caterpie had used to blind it. "I think you've had enough for one night," Reese said and turned to call to Dukes. The Machop was sitting on a low branch rocking back and forth with silent laughter. Tauros snorted angrily, something which only made Dukes laugh harder.

"Since you have so much energy," Reese observed, "you've got the watch for the rest of the night." Dukes stopped laughing. Reese recalled Tauros and went back to sleep, deciding he could deal with the Caterpie in the morning.

***

The next morning they followed the river until they found a bridge marked on the map. The road would lead eventually to Veridian City. Their course would allow them to follow it for a while, but many wild pokemon avoided man made constructions. Reese would have to travel some distance into the wilderness to find what he was after. 

Then again, he reflected, there were plenty that didn't mind humans at all. The Primeape watching them was a fine example. It was eyeing his breakfast hungrily. As good an introduction as any.

"Hungry?" he called. "Join me for breakfast." He pulled out a journey ration like the one he was eating and tossed it over to the primeape. It hesitated then came closer and picked up the snack. It spotted the pokeballs on his belt and began to retreat. "Nothing to worry about," Reese assured him. "I'm not going to try to capture you. That's not how I do things." The primeape eyed him quizzically. Reese explained what he meant and the primeape listened with some interest. Reese suspected it was the food more than anything else which interested him. He had gobbled down the journey ration as if it tasted good, something Reese couldn't understand at all. 

"You up for a battle?" Reese asked finally. "I want to test your skills." He called out a now rested Tauros.

The battle began in a straightforward way with a full speed charge that Primeape dodged easily. His attempt to tackle Tauros was less than successful. Primeape rebounded and hit the ground while Tauros barely seemed to feel the assault. Turning quickly, the wild bull pokemon caught Primeape with his horns and tossed him high into the air. The pig-monkey pokemon came down through a tree, striking several branches and one pidgey on its way to the ground.

"Oops." The primeape was unconscious, but basically unharmed. The pidgey was another matter. "Take it easy! Take it easy! I think your wing is broken." Suddenly the medical training he had picked up from watching Nurse Joy came in very handy. He managed to calm the injured bird and set its wing. 

"I'm sorry this happened. It wasn't intentional, but I will take care of you till your wing gets better." He let out the rest of his pokemon and set up camp. Mixing a medicine he had acquired at the Pokemon Center, he gave some to the pidgey and the rest to Primeape when it woke up. He allowed the two to rest for remainder of the day. Twice during the day he had troubles with Rattata sneaking in to steal food. Primeape caught the second one and presented it to Reese, dangling it by its tail. It was chittering and squealing angrily. Reese had Primeape release him and offered him some food. Rat wandered by and snorted indignantly at Reese' newest recruit. Rattata accepted the offer and joined in a training session with Rat and Slowpoke. He didn't do well, but he wasn't deterred either. 

Reese returned from the session to find Primeape, who was supposed to be sleeping, holding another pokemon down. "He was at the journey rations huh?" Primeape nodded and chattered at the odd looking creature who squirmed frantically. Reese looked at it curiously for a moment and then pulled out a pokedex that he had gotten at the pokemon center.

"Aipom. The long tailed pokemon. It is found in forests and occasionally steals food from campers."

"Y'know, I just don't understand this attraction to those rations. If you can make yourself useful I can get you those on a regular basis. You want a trainer?" Like Primeape, Aipom seemed more interested in the food, but he also showed potential. Reese watched a short while later as he whipped his tail around two of Rat's legs and turned his charge into an uncontrolled tumble.

"Not bad. With work you'll make a fine addition to the group." Testing of their unexpected acquisitions took up the rest of the day and they settled down for a night's sleep, well and truly exhausted.

A ROCKY INTELUDE

A quiet day followed a quiet night. There were no more attempted thefts, and no new pokemon came within range. Reese had set the group a new goal. To reach the nearby village where some professional help could be had for Pidgey and where they could obtain more supplies. 

There was no pokemon center, but there was a small apothecary. He recalled those who were out stretching their legs and made his way there. Pidgey had refused a pokeball and was riding on his shoulder, despite the fact that the jostling must have hurt his wing. Pidgey was stubborn. 

When they reached the apothecary he found an old woman behind the counter working with a mortar and pestle. She turned to look at him and looked him up and down. "Well now. What have we here?"

"I have a wounded pidgey. His wing is broken."

"Match get out of hand?"  


"Not exactly. He was an innocent bystander. Is there someone in the village that can treat him?" She nodded.

"This isn't a pokemon center sonny, but I do know a thing or two about pokemon." She looked at him speculatively. "Now then, about payment..." She trailed off looking thoughtful.

"How much?" She shook her head.

"Not money. We've got a problem. A problem a skilled trainer might be able to solve." This was unexpected, but he nodded for her to continue. "We've been having problems with a group of rock type pokemon. They come around every few days, causing problems. They break windows, cause ground tremors, terrify the village pets. Some of the pets fight back, but they're not strong enough."

"I'll look around and see what I can do." He wasn't sure what he could do, but it was a worthwhile cause. He didn't know much about rock pokemon, at least nothing specific that would help him. All he really knew was that pokemon, like humans, usually had a reason for what they did. If he could discover that reason he might be able to solve the problem.

He went to the head of the village, mayor Smiley. He didn't live up to his name. The mayor was a harried looking little man who kept wringing his hands while he told Reese about the problem. 

"We don't know why they're doing this. The monsters keep coming around, tormenting our townspeople. There's an Onyx that has knocked over three barns. The Geodude in the group likes to break windows. We can't get rid of them." Reese nodded.

"Do you have any idea what's upsetting them?"

"No. We've never done anything to them." He continued to pace and wring his hands. "We would be very grateful if you could clear this up for us." Reese nodded and promised to see what he could do. He asked a few more questions then began moving about the village. 

Reese spent the rest of the afternoon asking questions. He learned that the rock types had always come from and retreated to, the north. There was a canyon to the north that, based on what he had learned in his training preparations, was perfect for rock types.

When his pokemon were ready he headed north sending out pokemon as scouts. It didn't take long for Primeape to report back. Something was going on toward the north end of the canyon. He moved along the western edge of the canyon, not wanting to get caught in such a narrow place if things turned ugly. This was only recon. He had no intention of getting close until he had some idea of what was going on. The canyon widened after a time and opened onto a rocky plain that bordered a large lake fed by a wide stream.

Reese looked out at two geodudes that were making there way along the shore. They seemed to be keeping a safe distance from the water and looked very nervous. Reese frowned in puzzlement. What was going on? He didn't have to wait long. A jet of water emerged from beneath the surface and soaked the two rock types thoroughly. They cried out in alarm and tried to retreat. The water was having the desired effect though. They were weakening rapidly, and soon reduced to dragging themselves away from the water. A polywraith emerged from the lake followed by two squirtles. Reese and his pokemon watched, baffled, as the two rock types were beaten back. The ground began to rumble, and an Onyx emerged from the ground and began to drive the water types back with a rock throw attack. 

The attack stopped when they reached the water. Reese watched as the three rock types retreated into the canyon and made their way to a cave. He spotted what appeared to be a third geodude standing guard outside. _Curiouser and curiouser._ "I need another perspective on this," he mused and turned to Starmie. "Go circle around the lake and enter from the north. See if you can learn anything from the local water types. I'm going to stay here and watch for a while. If I learn anything while you're gone I'll head back to the village. You can hook up with me there." Starmie grunted in the affirmative and headed off. Reese recalled the others accept for Rat and Aipom whom he sent north and south along the edge of the canyon to watch for activity. That done, he settled down to watch and wait.

Approximately half an hour later something happened. A group of rock types came rushing out of the cave, angry as a swarm of beedrills. They headed for the edge of the lake and began hurling rocks and boulders into the water. All of them were apparently furious over something.

The response from the lake was overwhelming. Water types of all varieties emerged, responding to the attack with water gun attacks and the occasional ice beam. The rock types were badly outgunned and it didn't take long for them to see the futility of the attack and retreat. They were still very angry though, and as they headed up the canyon they bypassed the cave and continued south. _Toward the village._

Reese recalled Rat and headed south as fast as he could, collecting Aipom on the way. He managed to outdistance the rock types and warn the villagers. He then released his pokemon and established a defensive line just north of the village.

A small group of four geodudes was the first to arrive with three sandshrews. They moved toward the village obviously bent on taking out their bad mood on the human population.

"Cinder! Make a firewall." The small fire type raced across the path of the advancing rock types setting the grass on a small berm afire. It had been tried by the villagers before with little success, but Reese had more resources. All he needed to do was delay them. 

Positioning the others took only a little time, and the firewall bought them the extra breathing room they needed. The fire was extinguished by a literal wave of dirt created by a large Onyx. As the smaller types moved into the field beyond, Gloom and Caterpie struck. Two of the sandshrew found themselves stuck together, by Gloom's sticky nectar and immobilized. A geodude was blinded by Caterpie's stringshot. All three were sent flying into those behind them by Tauros' charge.

"Primeape, take the graveler. Tantrum. Rat, double team!" The graveler was down and out before it knew what hit it. The geodude who had been blinded was nearly free of the sticky string that Caterpie produced, but the bug pokemon had been busy. Three more of the attackers were in the same predicament. The entire mob had been thrown into confusion. Which had been Reese' intention. "Okay Slowpoke, let's see that confusion attack. Focus on the onyx." The onyx was the biggest problem. It wasn't slowed by the nectar, and it was fast. Caterpie had been unable to hit it. The only thing that kept it from proceeding was the chaos caused by the unexpected resistance.

Slowpoke focused its mind, something it rarely did as far as Reese could tell and began the psychic attack. The onyx reared up roaring and began to lash out at friend and foe alike. Some of the villagers had begun to move out with their own pokemon. There were a couple of Pikachus and three Growlithes. Pets, Reese realized. They weren't trained to fight. 

"That onyx has been our biggest problem," the mayor said as he approached Reese cautiously. "It's knocked over buildings and ruined fields where we grow food. If you can capture it we would have a much easier time." Reese didn't like it, but he saw the sense in the mayor's request, at least until the situation was resolved. It might slow or even stop the attacks. He nodded decisively.

"Slowpoke, water gun." It was a fairly weak attack as water guns went, but it further weakened the enraged and confused onyx who had nearly decimated its own forces with its thrashing about. He turned to Gloom next. "Gloom, sleep powder."

The impact of the falling onyx shook the village. Reese quickly called it into a pokeball and had his pokemon drive off the rest of the group. There was a small sandshrew left behind unable to retreat and Reese picked it up and carried it to the apothecary where Pidgey was being treated.

"I have another patient for you," he announced as he came through the door. The old woman eyed the sandshrew with barely concealed hostility, but examined it and gradually brought it around.

"Shrew!!" it screamed and lashed out. Reese struck it on the head with his fist, knowing he wouldn't hurt it. The blow did catch the creature's attention though.

"Calm down. No one is going to hurt you." It eyed him suspiciously. "I could have simply left you out there where you fell. Instead I brought you here for medical attention. I'm not your enemy and neither are the people in this village." The sandshrew began to calm and look about. It examined a place on its foreleg where a crack in its rocky hide had been treated and dressed.

"Shreeew?"

"We'd prefer to live in peace with you, but you're not making that easy. Care to explain why you attacked the village?" The creature gave a defiant growl and looked away.

"I think that's a no," the old woman opined sarcastically. Reese nodded.

"So it would seem." He walked to the door. Opened it and gestured for Sandshrew to go. Both it and the old woman stared at him. "You're not a prisoner. If you don't want to tell me why you're having problems with the water types to the north, that's your decision. If you want to tell me what this feud is about I'll see if I can help end it. Until then you're free to go." Sandshrew hesitated for only a second before it jumped from the table. It paused at the door and pointed at his belt where Onyx' pokeball rested, and made accusatory noises.

"Onyx has caused too much damage. When this is sorted out I'll let him go." 

"San," the creature scoffed and rushed out the door, heading north. 

"What did you do that for?" the old woman demanded. "You were supposed to capture them all."

"You asked me to solve the problem. That's my intention." He turned to face her. "The way I solve it has to be left to me."

"Pi-pi," Pidgey interrupted from his perch. Reese glanced over.

"I could use some help, an 'eye in the sky' if you're up to it." Pidgey spread his wings and flapped them, causing a small gust to rattle bottles on the shelf across the room. "Good. I sent Starmie to scout the lake. Fly north above the canyon. See what you can see." He presented his arm and Pidgey stepped from the perch to Reese' wrist. Together they went outside. The bird pokemon launched himself into the air. Reese watched him leave and then headed for the mayor's home.

"I don't understand what you're doing," the man protested. "Why let the sandshrew go?"

"An act of good will." The mayor snorted in disbelief. "Have a little faith." 

"What do you want to do next? Invite them over for dinner?"

"Actually, I need to make a phone call. The behavior of these two groups is confusing. I need to consult with someone who can tell me more."

***

Professor Oak looked up from the computer screen when the phone rang. "Why is it that that thing always rings at the most inconvenient times?" He rose reluctantly, casting a longing glance back at the psyduck evolution rate data he was reviewing and picked up the phone. When the screen lit up there was a young man he didn't recognize waiting to speak to him. "Hello. Who might you be?"

"Apologies for the interruption Professor Oak. My name is Reese. I'm a trainer out of Celedon City. I need to consult with you on a rather urgent matter. From what I've learned of you sir, you are well versed in pokemon behavior patterns even though it is not your primary interest."

"True. You have a problem you say?" Reese nodded.

"I do. I was passing through a small village about 90 km South-West of Pallet Town when I got caught up in a very unusual situation." He proceeded to tell the professor of the attacks on the village and of what he had learned about the pokemon involved. Oak at first looked astonished then intrigued, and finally thoughtful.

"That is strange. There is no indication of the source of this friction?"

"No sir. It would be very helpful if I could get a closer look at the cave where the rock types live, but at this point I doubt they'd welcome me. I hope to learn more when my Starmie returns from the lake."

"Well, this is very strange. I'll need to know more about the situation before I can help you though." He thought for a moment. "I'll see if I can find any reference to similar behavior, and I'll see if there's anything unusual about that region in particular. Where can I reach you?" Reese gave him the mayor's number. "Excellent. I'll be in touch."

Oak signed off, and Reese went to look for Starmie. He had reached the northern edge of the village when the water pokemon appeared through the trees. "Starmie? What news?" It made a series of sounds that Reese only caught part of. "Something's wrong with the lake?" 

Starmie put one point into the dirt and drew a circle. "The lake?" Starmie grunted affirmative. It then began making marks inside the circle. "Water pokemon?" Another affirmative. "Looks crowded. Is that the problem? Overcrowding?" Again, he had guessed correctly. "Why?"

This baffled Starmie for a moment, but then it drew a line leading away from the lake to the northwest. It curved a couple of times and Reese suddenly realized what it was. "The river entering the lake. What about it?" Starmie considered a moment and then drew two lines across the river about six inches from the circle representing the lake and then made as series of short jagged back and forth motions along the river from whatever the lines represented to the lake.

"Something… has been built upstream and is causing problems in the river," Reese surmised. "What though? A dam? A factory?" Starmie managed to shrug. Since the limbs didn't move Reese wasn't sure how the impression was conveyed, but it was definitely a shrug. He puzzled over that for a moment and then dismissed it.

"Well, it's a good place to start." He considered briefly. "We'll head out there and see what we can learn. After that last attack we can't wait until we hear from Prof. Oak. He may find some information for us, but we can't put off a personal look." He considered briefly, then brought out all of his pokemon. "Dukes, Aipom, and Rattata will come with me. The rest of you will stay and defend the village in the event of another attack. You'll take your lead from Starmie."

"You can't be serious." Reese turned to find the mayor watching him. He had been attracted by the large group of pokemon. "You're leaving one of your pokemon in charge while you go…?"

"To find out why the lake is overcrowded. If I'm right the problem may be population pressure. The water types are frustrated. They take out their irritation on the rock types who can't fight back as effectively, being weak against water. The rock types turn on you to vent their frustrations. I see signs that they're moving south toward the village, abandoning the cave in the canyon." He frowned thoughtfully. "They're not going peacefully though. We need to find out what's going on up there." The mayor opened his mouth to protest, but Reese raised a hand to stop him. "Don't worry. Starmie and the others can handle the defense themselves. Just stay out of their way."

The mayor did not look pleased, but he didn't have much choice. He gave instructions to the people of the village and Reese and his small party headed for the north end of the lake with a few pieces of borrowed equipment. It took almost a full day to skirt the lake find the river. It was wide and fairly shallow where it entered the lake. It occurred to him that the river could be polluted. The water looked fine, but he knew he was no judge of such things. 

He moved along the river, eventually having to stop for the night. He let out the pokemon that had accompanied him and set out dinner. He warned them away from the river though, not sure that there wasn't something wrong with the water. 

Dukes took the first watch and managed to stay awake long enough to wake Aipom for the second watch. Rattata was on duty when Reese woke up.

They moved on up river. Along the way they passed several areas where the river widened and slowed, almost like miniature lakes, but there was no sign of water pokemon living in those areas which should have been ideal for them. After two days of travel, they reached the area Starmie had indicated. It looked to be a mining complex. The entire area was fenced off on both sides of the river. Reese frowned at the barrier, a high chain link fence topped with barbed wire. There was a sign on the fence that warned that it was electrified.

"Someone is serious about keeping people out of there. Let's find a gate."

Dukes, the only one out of his pokeball at the time, nodded. He pointed through the trees away from the river. In the distance Reese could see what looked like a road. They started through the underbrush and soon reached a gate with a road curving away from the river. A guard at the gate glowered at them.

"Cho-op," Dukes rumbled dangerously, taking an instant dislike to the man.

"Excuse us," Reese stepped forward, taking a more diplomatic approach. "What is this place?"

"TR Inc. mining facility," he answered shortly. "No trespassing."

"How large is the… facility? How long will it take us to go around?"

"Find out," the man answered shortly. "Be careful not to touch the fence. It's electrified."

"I'll be careful." Reese turned and headed away from the river along the fence line. As long as the man thought he was just a trainer with no interest in the mine then he would quickly forget about Reese. 

They moved a half-mile along the fence until they were certain they were out of sight of the gate. "This is good. Dukes, can you get over the fence?" Dukes nodded. "I need someone to get a look inside and tell me what's happening in there. Snoop around and find what's going on. Take Aipom with you, to get closer if you spot something interesting."

"Chop," he answered shortly and picked up Aipom, who looked less than happy at the prospect. Reese took a look around, but there were no trees overhanging the fence or any growing close enough to make a jump possible. The fence was eight feet high, which made another approach impossible.

"Up on my shoulders. You can jump from there." Machop looked dubious, but he was willing to try. Reese slung the equipment bag over Dukes' shoulder and braced himself as best he could. The Machop made the leap easily, and Reese faded back into the trees to watch and wait.

Dukes moved toward the crest of a hill inside the fence and dropped to his belly to look down on the complex. There was a lot of activity. People and machines were coming and going, and Dukes didn't understand any of it. Then he saw something he did recognize. Or rather, someone. Quietly, he followed opening the equipment Reese had given him as he did.

Reese waited patiently for nearly two hours before his pokemon returned. Dukes tossed the bag and a surprised and indignant Aipom over the fence and then did something that surprised Reese. He started to climb. He stopped just below the barbed wire, apparently none the worse for wear and crouched as best he could.

Pushing off with his legs, Dukes somersaulted over the wires and landed neatly on his feet before moving to join Reese in the trees. "What did you learn?"

Dukes pulled the small hand held video camera borrowed from a villager, out of the bag. Reese winced when he remembered the bag hitting the ground and hoped the device still worked.

It worked well enough to show, on the small display screen, a familiar face or three. "What are they doing here?" He wondered aloud. Then it hit him. "Oh. TR Inc. Team Rocket. They're not getting any points for imagination. Hmmm." The video went on to show them at the far side of the mining facility turning back a group of pokemon trying to drink from the river. The fence did a good job of keeping most pokemon and people out, but some weren't as easily deterred. 

Reese watched as Jesse and James used their pokemon to drive away a group of thirsty pokemon. This baffled him until he saw pipes leading from the ore processing sheds to the river. Something was being dumped there.

By the end of the video, Reese had seen all he needed to see. The fence didn't go all the way around the facility. The mountain that was the source of the river provided a natural barrier, at least to people. The mountain was also the source of whatever was being mined there.

"So they're dumping the waste from the operation into the river. I guess they're trying to keep the pokemon out because the Safari Zone rangers would probably notice if pokemon started turning up sick. We're right on the edge of the zone here." He thought a moment. "We'll need to get a water sample and take this to the police."

The journey back took nearly two days, and there was a message waiting for him when he arrived, from Professor Oak. The message confirmed what he already knew. A company called TR Inc. had set up a mining operation at the source of the river. There was very little information on the owners. Oak suggested it was possible the operation was disrupting the water pokemon's natural habitat, driving more and more of them downstream into the lake.

Reese placed a call to the Professor and told him what they had learned.

"Oh dear. That can't be allowed. They must be poisoning the water with the waste from their operation. You have the evidence?" Reese nodded.

"I also have water samples from inside the facility and from two points down stream from there. I intend to head for the ranger station in the Safari Zone and turn the evidence over to them. They should be able to get the samples analyzed. Then we'll know exactly what they're dumping, although I think I have a fairly good idea already."

"Excellent Reese. I'll put in a call to the station and let them know to expect you."

It moved quickly from that point forward, or seemed to for Reese. Officer Jenny, three of them actually, which Reese found confusing in the extreme, descended on the mine with a dozen officers and shut it down after confirming that there was mercury in the water.

A few employees were captured, but Jesse, James, and Meowth were long gone. Jenny promised that they would see that the river was cleaned up so the water pokemon could return home.

Starmie carried the news to the water pokemon in the lake and Onyx was released to speak to the rock types. Reese stayed in the village three more days until the matter was resolved. He then prepared to leave.

"Well," mayor Smiley admitted. "It wasn't what I expected, but you certainly got the job done."

"I was happy to help," Reese assured him, looking over his group. "Everyone ready to go?" There were positive responses from all but the pidgey, which he had expected. "Can I convince you to come along Pidgey? Could really use you." The bird pokemon looked away and made a noise that required no translation. "No need to be rude," Reese chided. "I'll just wish you well then."

Pidgey looked back at him, startled to see Reese getting the others moving. Some returned to their pokeballs, others preferred to hoof it. After a moment's silence Pidgey made a conciliatory noise. Reese glanced back and nodded. Satisfied with that, Pidgey took to the air and headed east. 

Reese waved good-bye before turning toward the road for Pallet Town and Professor Oak's lab.

THE END


End file.
